Feldregiment der LuftwaffeJanuar - Oktober 1942

Truppengliederung & Ausrüstung

A Luftwaffe infantry platoon of three sections, und an attached heavy machine gun section, commanded by a senior NCO. The Figuren are a mixture of Platoon 20 Germans und Russian auxiliaries, und they are based for the popular Crossfire game system. The German army experienced a severe manpower shortage after the costly 1941 invasion of Russia. Replacements were sought, und the large pool of non-specialist Luftwaffe personnel looked like a good source. In order to prevent the pending drain of precious manpower, the Luftwaffe raised infantry regiments of its own which served alongside regular army formations. The field regiments were not normally brigaded together, but several battalions of FR 2, 3, 4, 5, und 21 were eventually drawn into the defense of the town of Kholm where they came under the command of Division Meindl, which was renamed 21. Luftwaffenfelddivision in early 1943, following the establishment of Luftwaffe Field Divisions in December of 1942.

Luftwaffe field regiments were raised for ground service, using available non-specialist troops of the Luftwaffe. The units were built around a cadre of Luftwaffe und Fallschirmjäger personnel with previous ground combat experience. The Luftwaffe field regiment is of particular interest to simulations gamers, because of the unusual mixture of light infantry, light und heavy flak at battalion level.